The joys of wrapping, unwrapping, and scrapping

Dear Everyone ~

Wrapping, as Everyone knows, is something I very much enjoy. Unwrapping is also something I very much enjoy. My Postal Muse and I refer to slowly unwrapping the contents of parcels as decanting. This season, I have photo-documented some noteworthy orders in “tree formation,” and am pleased to present the forest for your enjoyment and inspiration.

Susan in Nevada is a longtime Bari Zaki Studio enthusiast. As it happened, she was visiting Chicago the summer I opened, and we met in person one steamy afternoon. She has continued to visit once a year… until the arrival of the pandemic. She recently placed a luscious order, which I arranged into a tree formation, simply for the pleasure of doing so. I asked Susan for whom the items were destined, and was “gifted” with her reply:

“ I am happy to report that the Kaweco pens and ink will be going to my writer’s group in Northern Nevada. I started the writers group in 2010 - women who write; we call our group “Get Writing” which is also code for Goddess Writers. We meet weekly to help each other edit and workshop our writing projects. Some of us write fiction, some write poetry, and some memoir. One of the writers studied with Kurt Vonnegut, one was an editor and censor for CBS, one is a rancher, and most of us met while attending Ash Canyon Poets (a weekly poetry group that met every week for over 25 years in Carson City, NV). The fabulous washi tape will go to an assortment of friends who journal and embellish with washi. ” – Hugs from over here, Susan

Louise in Madison ordered eleven collapsible pencil cups the other morning, almost causing me to collapse! Here they are in all their natural beauty, and there they are wrapped in crisp white tissue. Again, I couldn’t resist sprucing. I asked Louise what she was planning on doing with her quantity of cups, and she replied:

“ I want to give our staff in the history department a special holiday present, to thank them for being so great during a difficult year. These seemed such a great choice. And I love your website and your energy! ” – Louise

Carla from Virginia is a Bookful five-timer. She recently mailed me a tree de force in an envelope that delighted me, designating me as “Paper Luminary.” Swoon. Here are her envelope and her tree. Carla had visited the shop this past summer when she was in town, which was lovely. (We also mentioned her in our Thanksgiving post.) Her tree is not only charming, it is also the acme, or maybe the zenith, of scrap-happiness, fashioned from Cambridge Imprint triangles left over from folding & trimming stars. O, you’re curious as to her note? It is a paragon of pithiness and warms my heart:

“ Thank you for all the creative inspiration this year! ” – Carla

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It delights me to no end, and both ends, to receive emails and calls with special wrapping requests! Crisp white tissue and washi tape are at the ready, and I’m happy to pen a note bearing your greeting on a Glimpses & Whimsies of Bari Zaki Studio postcard.